Studious
by Lewd Concubine
Summary: Sometimes late night studying can lead to unexpected turns of fate. Spoilers until the time jump. KakaSaku


**Studious**

**by: Naraku's Dark Soul**

Sakura sat amongst the many shelves of the library, completely absorbed in her book. Despite it being assigned reading from Tsunade, it was actually very interesting. She had been reading for hours and was not tired in the least. The quiet hush of the library surrounded her, the only sounds her own soft breathing and the occasional rustle of paper as she turned a page. Most everyone else had gone home already, even the librarian, leaving her all alone amongst the musty volumes. Even as the black of night overcame the blue sky, she couldn't bring herself to leave. Until she started the book, she never knew exactly how many bloodline limits there were. There were literally _thousands_ of them. Some of them really unique; so much so that it was hard for her to wrap her brain around the very concept. "_A suicide by explosion jutsu_" she thought to herself and shook her head. That was just downright crazy, yet somehow _fascinating _to her.

"_One more_" she promised herself, "_one more and I'll put the book away_." She quickly turned the page and began reading about a rather strange bloodline limit having to do with hair. The diagram on the page depicted a kunoichi completely covered in her own brown hair. The details were slightly vague, but Sakura surmised that somehow the jutsu was supposed to disguise the user as an animal. She shook her head and frowned. It seemed pretty useless to her. Why go through all that trouble when transformation was so easy? She supposed that not every bloodline limit could be useful.

Being all alone for a change was kind of peaceful, a nice change of pace. Usually she never got a free minute to herself. If it wasn't Tsunade pressuring her to complete some assignment, it was Ino badgering her about boys and trying her best to find out about Sakura's training while at the same time keeping her own a secret. Even with her parents, it was hard to get away. They were always around, encouraging her, talking with her, and, of course, making her do chores. She appreciated them, she really did, but sometimes she just wanted to be alone. It didn't used to be this way, but ever since Sasuke left her, she felt a crack in her bright world, a dark blot on her otherwise happy existence. Just thinking about him made her tear up. It was bad enough earlier when she ran into the Sharingan in the book. She had quickly skimmed the section, skipping over all but the most important parts. Even though it had been two years since he had left, she still wasn't quite ready to face the possibility that he might not be coming back. Most of the time, she just tried to avoid thinking about him.

At the unexpected sound of footsteps, Sakura looked up from the now blurry diagram, scanning the surrounding shelves for the unknown person. She mentally cursed herself for being so absorbed in her thoughts. She hadn't even felt the person's chakra. If he had truly been after her life, she could easily have been dead by then.

Sakura marked her page and set the book down quietly, eyes narrowed at the end of the row. She had thought she was the only one left at the library, but was clearly mistaken. She wondered who else was as big a nerd as she, studying late into the night. All the usual suspects had already gone home.

As the footsteps came closer, Sakura shifted until she was crouching, her weight on the balls of her feet. In these troubled times, one could never be too careful. She heard the footsteps halt, and the sound of pages rustling from the next row, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just another student, like her. She stood up, brushing the non-existent dust off her outfit, grabbing her book off the floor, and walked to the end of the row. She really had to go home anyway. It was good that the other person had come along or she might have been in the library for hours more.

Feeling much better, Sakura rounded the corner, expecting to find fellow chuunin or a genin, but was surprised when it turned out to be none other than her sensei. He was holding a volume of what had to be dubious content--she couldn't picture him reading anything else--idly turning through the pages, facing away from her, his silver hair glinting in the dim light. He didn't even seem to notice her. She blinked at him several times, eyes wide in disbelief. Either she was getting really good, or he was pretending not to notice her. The latter seemed the more likely possibility. She smiled, the corners of her lips turning up slightly. Sometimes he was so obvious.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?" she asked, smiling, now leaning on the bookcase nearest to her. He turned toward her, haltingly, as if he had been caught doing something wrong. Maybe he was here for the books after all.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, it's good to see you," he breathed, snapping his book closed with a flick of his wrist. "I'm afraid I ah, got a bit distracted here," he continued, smiling apologetically, running a hand through his hair. Sakura quirked an eyebrow at him, wondering what he was doing in the library so late.

"What are you reading," she asked, moving closer until she was standing by him. He shifted a bit trying to hide the book from her, but she caught the title before it disappeared behind his leg. Her eyes widened in surprise upon finding that it was not, in fact, a volume of _Icha Icha Paradise_. She looked from the half-hidden book to his face and back again. "Sensei, I had no idea you actually read these kinds of things!"

Kakashi eyed her shocked face and stifled a gasp, his eyes going wide as he realized she had found out his secret. "Now Sakura-chan, I hope we can keep this between us," he said, waving his hands in a placating manner, sweat beading on his forehead. "I do have a certain reputation to uphold." At this, Sakura couldn't help but laugh. The ever-perverted Kakashi reading something other than porn? She couldn't believe it. He looked worried until she gently put a hand on his arm, a smile replacing her initial laughter.

"Don't worry Sensei. Your secret is safe with me," she said, letting her hand linger on the warmth of his arm. Kakashi looked visibly relieved as he returned the copy of _Theoretical Jutsu_ to its rightful place on the shelf.

"Thank you," he said, placing his free hand over hers, his embarrassed smile obvious under his mask.

"Don't mention it, Sensei. Now how about we get out of here and get something to eat?" she asked, taking his hand and giving it a slight tug as she turned to go. His stomach rumbled loudly in the silence, and she giggled.

"Sounds good," he replied, allowing her to guide him out of the aisle, their hands still entwined. With the warmth of his hand in hers and his strong presence by her side, Sakura felt like everything would be okay. Even if Sasuke never came back, she still had Kakashi. The thought made her smile.

おわり

This is May flashfic for wolfcrossbreed. My first time writing this pairing. I hope you enjoyed it. If you see any mistakes, feel free to point them out. I am always seeking to improve my writing.


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